Plasma-propellant interaction at low plasma energies in ETC guns

The ignition of solid propellants by plasma jets with high temperature and density has been suggested as an improvement over conventional primers. Plasma ignition may enable the ignition of propellant charges with high loading density and/or low sensitivity, which is difficult using conventional pri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on magnetics 2003-01, Vol.39 (1), p.227-230
Main Authors: Goldenberg, C., Zoler, D., Shafir, N., Roshu, S., Wald, S., Shapira, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Chemistry
Combustion. Flame
Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering
Exact sciences and technology
General and physical chemistry
Guns
Ignition
Magnetic levitation, propulsion and control devices
Magnetism
Miscellaneous
Plasma
Plasma density
Plasma devices
Plasma simulation
Plasma temperature
Power system simulation
Propellants
Pulse power systems
Temperature effects
Temperature sensors
Various equipment and components
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Summary:The ignition of solid propellants by plasma jets with high temperature and density has been suggested as an improvement over conventional primers. Plasma ignition may enable the ignition of propellant charges with high loading density and/or low sensitivity, which is difficult using conventional primers. In addition, plasma ignition can provide a better control of the ballistic process, improving repeatability and enabling compensation for the propellant temperature effect. Due to the typically large volume and weight of electrical energy storage devices and pulsed power systems, which increase with the required energy, it is important to reduce the amount of plasma energy needed for ignition. In this paper, we present and analyze experiments performed in a gun simulator as well as a series of 105-mm gun firings. The aim is to improve the understanding of the plasma-propellant interaction at low plasma energies, in order to reduce the energy needed for a proper propellant ignition and smooth ballistic process.
ISSN:0018-9464
1941-0069
DOI:10.1109/TMAG.2002.805945